NEW research from The Prince’s Countryside Fund has revealed that Britons love the countryside, yet are clueless about its scale and importance to the economy.

The survey was conducted ahead of the first-ever National Countryside Week, which runs from July 11 - 18.

Merseyside is home to some of the most beautiful, scenic countryside in England. The unique landscape and huge wealth of wildlife in Wirral, the Sefton coast and on the fringes of the city region is one of the area's greatest assets.

But the survey found that, while 93% of Britons value the country for relaxation and overwhelmingly agreed (94%) that it is important to protect the countryside, they under-estimated the value of the countryside to our economy.

While its actual value in pounds is £80bn a year, over three-quarters of those surveyed (78%) incorrectly estimated it as less than £1bn.

When questioned about what percentage of the UK’s total area is agricultural land, 60% thought it was less than half, when it actually makes up 75%.

Participants were also stumped when asked to estimate the average salary of a farmer and how many miles of hedgerows and dry stone walls there are in the UK.

Launched in July last year by HRH The Prince of Wales, The Prince’s Countryside Fund (www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk) is a unique collaboration of brands and businesses committed to caring for the people who take care of the countryside.

To date, the companies involved in The Prince’s Countryside Fund have contributed over £1m and already nearly £500,000 has been given in grants to 13 projects.

HRH The Prince of Wales will also be undertaking rural visits across the country.

Prince Charles said: “I am delighted to introduce the very first National Countryside Week, which happily coincides with the first anniversary of my Countryside Fund. I hope that it will provide us all with an opportunity to celebrate the people who make our countryside the very precious national asset that it undoubtedly is.”